Debate on federal oil leasing and permitting heats up – By Kevin Robinson-Avila (Albuquerque Journal) / Mar 21 2021
National debate over the future of leasing and permitting regulations on federal lands is rapidly intensifying, and New Mexico – more than any other state – is in the thick of it.
President Joe Biden ordered an indefinite pause in January on all new leases for oil and gas production on public land and water to allow the U.S. Interior Department to conduct a thorough review of federal policies. Interior, in turn, will host a first-ever nationwide forum Thursday to collect public input on how best to manage federal lands in the future.
It’s all part of a broad, unprecedented initiative by the Biden administration to elevate climate change and clean energy development to a top national security issue – possibly the country’s No. 1 priority. That includes wide-ranging policy proposals and programs that could fundamentally transform the national economy from the bottom up.
The future of oil and gas production and consumption, which accounts for the majority of all U.S. carbon emissions today, is squarely in the crosshairs as the country embarks on a new path to a low- or no-carbon economy. That transformation is already underway, but the speed and extent of disruption as the U.S. transitions to a carbon-free future will be largely determined by today’s roaring national debate over new federal policies.
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